Recent trip to Wayanad...

We made a recent trip to Wayanad...an unspoilt (yes...still so) scenic paradise. Situated on the border of Kerala and Karnataka (border of bandipur actually) this was a ideal weekend retreat for all of us bored bangloreans. We left on a saturday morning and the route took us through the Bandipur wildlife reserve.I kept craning my neck outside the car window and luckily spotted some peacocks, spotted deer and also a wild elephant...(there were some claims of having spotted a bison...but it remains disputed as of now..).

We reached around evening and stayed in the forest guest house in the Muthanga Wildlife sanctuary.That was quite an experience. As we sat in the verandah, we saw spotted deer grazing on the field next to our compound, peacefully.Staying in the forst guest house was a unique experience.So was our early morning sojourn in the forest department jeep to spot more animals....this time we saw some more deer,wild fowl, monkeys and a reclusive sambhar deer!

Lovely images from the Muthanga Wildlife reserve:

Also went to the Edakkal caves and though the climb was tiring ...it was worth the effort...the cave paintings are indeed awe-inspiring and the view from the top is breath-taking...

We could not see pookut lake because of the time shortage but next time maybe we can!

There was also this waterfalls we went to see ( i don't remember).We had to trek a lot (poor tired souls) and at the end of it there was nothing but a trickle to water!

Finally we came back on sunday night and the trip though short will remain memorable...

Disappeared from blogosphere....and back!

Disappeared without any trace...what a shame...bloggers like me (phew!!!)...
A friend in fact asked me if i was resting in peace...(scroll below my last entry....Rest In peace R.I.P)......But nope iam back and hope to start posting....And for all those who reached out to enquire my mental well-being after reading the poem, plz rest assured Iam completely sane and undepressed as yet....

R.I.P (Rest In Peace)

Minutes pass away like years,
as I sit in this solitary retreat,
wiping away salty tears,
and so i have done for years.

I fight not despair,
I fight not fear,
I fight not failure,
I fight no one dear,
I fight my demons.

I fight those demons,
who appear to plague me,
every moment without solace,
they torment me,though i wish to make peace,
they pursue me and never seem to cease.

Demons of the past threaten my tomorrow,
with every step that I tread forward,
they pull me towards sorrow.
Past are bygones ,so I have heard,
not for these demons,maybe not until Iam dead.

I call out to these demons to devour me,
have their fill and set my soul free.
Let it feel light , let it feel infinite.
But these demons still dwell in me,
to liberate me, they will never agree.

So let me lead this life at their will,
let them drain me and have their fill.
Let every smile be a precursor to pain,
Let every victory be in vain,
May this poem be my Swan-song,
Yet I will live with this white hope,
that my inner demons will be finally put to rest,
Rest In Peace......

Kahaani Soap operas ki

Do you feel like detaching your brain from your head and feel "brainless"? Fret not then!
Tv soaps will help you !

For years now TV soap operas have done their bit in the emancipation of millions of womankind and also mankind (why leave them behind?) who needed that bit of thrill, fantasy, drama and glamour in their dull , boring drawing rooms.In came the soaps and there was perhaps nothing better.First it was the K - sagas started by Ektaa Kapoor. Her K - influenza of soaps churns out and hits the TV screens at regular intervals.Why blame Ektaa alone? What about the horde of Balaji telefilms inspired soaps on rival channels like Zee ,Sony ,Sahara etc etc.These k- soap cronies are no different.Its the same stale stuff dished out with new names.

There was a time when tv serials highlighted issues, told and depicted stories in a realistic manner.Then the budgets were small but originality and quality compensated for it.Today TV portrays a wide range of issues :ranging from the same old saas -bahu sagas....to the endless confrontations between the heroine with "sanskaar" (Indian values) taking on the devilish (ultra-modern ,un-sanskaari )vamp........to an "icchadhari nagin" seeking reveange..... to Re-incarnation a la "Om Shanti OM".And i thought icchadhari nagins , bhavishya- vanis and re-incarnations only happened in Chandrakantha! But who's complaining? All this stuff is greedily lapped up by millions of viewers.A new section of Pseudo celebrities have sprung up.Their claim to fame : mediocre acting skills in even more mediocre soaps or participation in some of the numerous reality shows on TV.

TV once held the torchlight to Bollywood when it came to quality entertainment.But now check the facts...Most of the TV soap plots are inspired from B-grade bollywood flicks.Not to mention the occassional film song that breaks out during the serial .

When satellite TV invaded our homes years ago, we took it as a boon as compared to old,boring Doordarshan.But old serials from DD like Malgudi days, Byomkesh Bakshi are still being watched ardently by people on the internet. Will there be any respite in the future? Hope so! So while Ektaa and her growing tribe make millions out of their soaps ...we in turn face the plight of engrossing ourselves into the "everyday problems"of imaginary khaandans ,bahus and betas on Indian TV! Whoever named TV as Idiot Box could not have been more correct.

The other side of the Jassi story.....

The ugly unattractive woman facing lot of hardships and discrimination at work has been the most loved theme worldwide. And this despite the fact that she is intelligent, amiable, smart and truly capable. Also many women identify themselves with the protagonist. Proof?....this is the underlying theme for many a successful soaps made world-wide. Jassi Jaisi koi Nahin is India's version of the story. I wonder what makes the theme so popular?

1) Yes, looks do matter. A good-looking person/child may be a lot more popular and confident compared to the not so good looking counterparts.

2) All these soaps had the ugly duckling transforming into a swan and winning the Handsome prince and giving it back to her detractors. Who wouldn't identify with this? The good underdog finally wins.

But all said and done i still wonder is it always a cakewalk for the prettier ones? Take the workplace for example. Are there no issues whatsoever. Think about it. A good-looking woman gets promoted and a few disgruntled jibe "Well she had to get it, didn't she? After all she has got the looks to kill!"
The fact that the woman worked for it and deserved it hardly counts.

In my college we were told by our male classmates that it was comparatively easier for pretty girls to get selected for jobs. They just had to smile throughout the interview. You call this a sick mentality? I would agree and also pity them. It is not that all men think this way. But some men and also some women do think on these lines. A well dressed fashionable woman is labelled a bimbo. She is in the company for obvious reasons. She lacks substance and capability. Forget about expecting hard work from these women. If by chance this woman is smart and assertive, then she is immediately labelled arrogant and demanding.

Luckily these mentalities are not common. But even then this disease in some people must be treated. How? Maybe by purging their minds and by setting aside the prejudices. Have a re-look and stop judging the book by its cover. Or rather don't judge a woman by her looks. So one can see that Ugly Betty /Jassi is just one side of the coin. There might be several untold or rather unseen sides to it. Women in general (ugly or pretty) still face some challenges be it in a workplace or society in general and will continue to do so until some ill-conceived perceptions regarding them change.

Eatouts in Malleswaram...

I spent the last 10 years of my life in Bangalore.Nine out of these ten years were spent in Malleswaram.For those of you not from Bangalore,Malleswaram is one of those places in Bangalore that still holds a lot of charm and warmth,something that is fast disappearing in Banagalore. Old mansions, colleges/ schools, temples in every nook and gully ,even in the most crowded market areas,beautiful temples with banyan tree and courtyards.Nothing of this has changed during the course of time.Hope it never does too.

But Malleswaram was also the hunting ground for two huge foodies me and my sister.Our slightly built frames disguise the amount of gluttony we both are capable of !Our favourite :"Chats". How i miss those days....those places....This blogpost is for those memories...may it serve as a guide for yet another foodie like me!Let me rave and rant about my favourites( not inthe order of favouritism though!)

The Hanuman stores bhel-puri. For us folks studying in MES...it was a treat...nothing great....not many things thrown into it, but the tamarind chutney had the right tanginess and the taste was always consistent, bhel was crisp ,with dhania thrown on the top.

There used to be a store called Annapurna just in front of the famous Veena stores on Margosa Rd.This guy used to make wonderful Samosas.The best i tasted anywhere in Banaglore.He started Chaats later on ,but nothing as good as the Samosas.Numerous evenings after college have i spent there with friends.A favourite destination for us students to treat each other.These days kids have more money which they flaunt in coffee days and pizza huts!

Who has'nt heard of Veena stores? The little joint serves fresh made steaming idlis, crisp golden vadas and other stuff .The chutney here is fabulous in taste with the right amount of pudina.The crowd thronging this store is never-ending .

I think dosas and i think of CTR facing the Malleswaram grounds.Golden crisp dosas just the way i like it.Also good are the Mangalore Bajjis, Maddur vadas and Rava idlis here.Janatha hotel in the busy 8th cross road is famous, but i always preffered CTR.

Phalamrutha in a narrow road joining 8th cross street came later on...and attracted lot of people..(its a busy street) ..hmm ..i never found anything special there but sure the masala puri reminds me of the one you get in mysore (may be a weaker twin in taste though!)..

There used to be a joint called Buttersponge we used to go to during our college days...This was the place i ate my first veg grilled sandwich...pastries were good too.

A popular hangout for us MES collegians was the "Eatout" on the 15 th cross road.There was a time when this guy used to dish out north-indian (Malai koftha was yum) ,south-indian ,chats everything under the same roof for very reasonable prices.Then one fine day the restaurant closed down...dont know why?

On the same road later came on, a chat shop called "Sairams" which soon started dishing out sandwiches,pizzas,juices,icecreams everything in a small garage converted shop...The crowds (mostly students) were huge and we used to go there pretty often because it was near to home and also the chats were always customised the way we wanted it.The guy never grudged if we asked more meetha(saunth) 'n' number of time :)

"Sai shakti" was yet another place we headed to on days when we wanted to eat something different,tasty yet homely and light on the stomach. Not to mention that it was light on the wallet also.The joint exclusively sold North-indian stuff.The curries are nothing to write about.Iam sure there will be many joints giviing out better tasting stuff but this place was very homely and light.They serve phulkas and chapatis and the curries were always less oily,no artificial coloring and fresh.The lassis ( peda lassi) were good too.

Adyar Anand bhavan was one more place haunted by us .Nothing special about the chats here but one of the very few places in bangalore serving us "Jhal muri" and having stayed in Kolkata i can vouch for the taste.A special mention would be for the kai -murukus and karela chips here.

I forget the name of the bakery at Malleswaram circle but it used to serve good grilled sandwiches, burgers and ice creams and soups for Rs 5.Probably inspired from a famous eatery at Jayanagar

Adigas has come up quite recently ( under a year) and in true darshini style serve good dosas and other good south-indian stuff.They keep adding new things to the menu : Pesarattu, Neer dosa etc...Whatever we ate here was good. Shanti sagar just a stone's throw away was nothing different to write about.

One more place that comes to my mind is the small Dharwad Store opposite to Asha's food camp at 10th cross...hmm...the chilli bajjis and bondas were awesome...A taste very different and fiery.It also has very different sweets (i fail to remember the names though).There was something called Bidar Paan i guess.And of course the Dharwad Peda.

Asha's food camp was a nice eatery, darshini style but with seating arrangement.The first floor housed the service restaurant with North-indian menu.Not bad.
Asha sweets was a favourite place to have a quick bite .Bengali sweets ( sandesh,rossogulla), paneer samosas,dhoklas,veg rolls, dahi vadas, gajjar halwa...Iam salivating already.

Kanti sweets at Malleswaram circle was the place for Parathas served with curds and aam ka achar...Also good were the chats and Paneer manchurian (yum).

A joint called Nandini sweets opened up just before i left and the guy was extra generous in offering free samples( not that iam complaining)...Hmm...I remember the golgappas, dahi chats and rasgulla chat( made famous by Gangotree chats) were very good.Hope the joint is still there when i go back...

New Mangalore stores served up churumuri Mangalore isstyle which was very yummy and comes close to the ones you get at Kadri park, Mangalore.As far as other Churumuri stores are considered they dish out something which seems like a cross between bhel and churumuri .so much for cosmo culture! The actual taste for churumuri can be tasted at Mysore.

It may seem blasphemous to many that i omit "Halli mane" but then sorry...kadubus there are good so is the ragi rotti ,but i have eaten at better places...so not much to mention here.

So much so...i know i sounded like a severely malnourished glutton ...but then iam not repenting coz its my blog and i have a right to rant and rave here as per my wish :-)...Only a fellow foodie can understand all this....

Snow snow everywhere..........

Snow is everywhere...a wonderful sight to behold...

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